Penny Trick For Tires

Checking the depth of the tire’s tread is the easiest way to find out whether you should replace your tire immediately or not. Thankfully, there are a lot of ways you can do to check the tread’s depth, and using a penny is one of them. The best thing about penny trick for tires is it doesn’t take long to do that and it is completely free. As we know, the depth of a new tire is usually around 10/32” or 11/32”. And when the depth has reduced into 2/32”, it is the sign that you should go to the tire shop immediately and replace your old tire with a new one.

What You Need

The only thing you need to do penny trick for tires is only the penny itself. Yes, the one with Abraham Lincoln picture on it. You don’t need a ruler or other measuring tools since Abe will tell you everything you need to know about your tire. However, make sure that the penny is still clean and shiny. Using old and rusted penny will make it harder to read the sign.

How to Use Penny to Use Tire Tread

Make sure you don’t cover Abraham Lincoln’s head when you are holding the penny. Since we will use Abe’s head to measure the depth of the tread, your finger should be on Abe’s body.
Insert the penny to the groove of the tire. Remember, Lincoln’s head should point downwards.
Now, take a look at the Lincoln’s head. If the tread of the tire covers parts of Abraham Lincoln’s head, it means your tire is still safe and you can wait longer before replacing it. However, if Lincoln’s head is not covered by the tread, it means your tread is already at 2/32” point or less and you should replace it immediately.
Don’t only check one part of the tire. Make sure you repeat the steps and check other parts too because tire doesn’t wear evenly. If you hate the idea of checking everywhere, make sure you find out the most worn out part and do the penny test there.
Other Signs that Your Tire Needs Replacing

Checking tread depths with penny trick for tires is the easiest way to find out whether your tires need to be replaced or not. But tread depth is not the only indication as there are other warning signs that you should notice as well. Here are some of them:

Bulges on the Sidewalls
It happens when the internal frame of the tire is damaged. You should change the tire as soon as possible when it happens because bulged tire can cause accident, especially in speed driving situation.

Vibration in the Steering Wheels
If there is a problem with your tire, you will notice some vibration in the steering wheel while you are driving.

Good quality tires definitely will improve your safety while driving. Don’t take a risk when it comes to safety and make sure you check your tires’ condition regularly to avoid any problems.